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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

December 2013 was a busy month!

December 2013 was also an eventful and stressful month for our household. We had several events and doctor appointments going on each week such as state report homework, Festival of Trees, choir concerts, young woman activities, little brother stayed at the hospital, followed up with doctor appointments, big sis got her braces off, and celebrated baby's first Christmas. I cannot believe how fast this month went by since we were extremely busy!

State ReportAt the last minute, hubby and I helped complete little sister's state report (we were up most the night, ugh). She did the state of Illinois for her report and hopefully learned her lesson to never procrastinate ever again! Around the same time, we had horrible internet issues, which finally got resolved three weeks later, grrrr! We actually had to go to the public library since we couldn't research at home.

Festival of TreesFor Big sister's foods class at school, she went on a field trip to see the Festival of Trees in Salt Lake City. Her favorite Christmas tree was the Audrey Hepburn Breakfast at Tiffany's and Toy Story display.

Christmas Choir Concerts

Big sis had a chamber choir concert at school while little sis performed at a local mall, nursing home, and her elementary school. According to Dad, they both did a great job! I wasn't able to attend due to little brother not feeling well and went to the hospital.

Temple Square

For Young Woman activities, big Sis went to Salt Lake City to see the Christmas lights at Temple Square and went ice skating at Seven Peaks.

Little Bro's Second Hernia Surgery

At 3:00 AM on December 11, 2013, Baby brother was struggling to breathe and we noticed a very loud rattle in his chest. We took him to the ER at American Fork Hospital, which he was admitted for bronchiolitis, swine flu, and Morgagni diaphragmatic hernia. He had to be life flight via helicopter to Utah Valley Hospital so that he could be treated by several pediatric specialists. The next day he struggled to breathe on high flow oxygen maxed out while fighting his two viruses and the doctors feared he was too weak for surgery. He had an x-ray on Thursday afternoon that showed that his hernia was larger, shifting his heart to the right, putting pressure on his trachea, and stomach. At that point, most the doctors feared he would crash eventually if he didn't get surgery right away because he was literally using all his energy to breathe (it was very scary to watch his chest rise and fall with labored breathing). So his team of doctors decided it was time to repair his hernia even though it was extremely risky due to his low immune system. To our surprise, little bro was remarkable during surgery and had zero complications! The doctor pulled his intestines out of his chest and repaired the hole in his diaphragm, which was under his liver. Unexpectedly, he recovered fully from surgery and his viruses after a few days. His pain was managed well, he ate up to four ounces of bottle, and he voided many diapers. He was discharged from the hospital on Monday December 15, 2013. What a strong little man and amazingly, I remained calm during this whole experience due to our baby receiving two healing priesthood blessings from my husband and family members. I knew he was very sick the day before he went to the hospital. I had an emotional melt down and looked at my precious son in the eyes and said, "You fight for your life!" My faith and many prayers kept me strong! On December 26 and 27, 2013, he met with his surgeon and pediatrician. Little bro will need to follow up with a feeding therapist, physical therapist, gastric intestinal specialist, and genetic specialist. He also got a prescription for acid reflux, which hopefully will improve his bottle feedings. It is still unknown what caused his birth defects (four hernias, wow) or if he has some sort of syndrome, but we are hopeful he will continue to live a normal and happy life with help from many medical professionals. Sadly, he starting to fall behind on some major milestones and needs help gaining weight. He unfortunately has a "conditioned" bottle aversion (I think when he drinks the bottle he is afraid of pain or may have bad acid reflux since he gags, spits ups, and coughs a lot after consuming his bottle) So we will address his feeding issues by a feeding therapist. As for his weak muscles, he many need help from a physical therapist to help him to accomplish his major gross motor skills such as rolling over and sitting up again, and future ones such as crawling, standing, and walking. He will be evaluated by Kids on the Move and they may have other services available to him. I am confident he will catch up on milestones and gain weight in the near future!

No More BracesOn December 19, 2013, big sister finally got her braces off. Look at that gorgeous smile! She has to wear a clear retainer for the next six months! That smile is worth every dime! She is very pretty!

No Place Like Home for the HolidaysOne of our friends sent this Santa letter photograph to us, which they saw at a local elementary school. It said, "Dear Santa, Can you please give Zachary Free a good Christmas. He is very sick and in the hospital. Also I ask you to help him have a Merry Christmas." Isn't that adorable? We are so grateful for the love and service that our friends, family, and neighbors did for us during our time of need!

Baby's First Christmas

Having little brother home for Christmas was the greatest gift of all for us since he was expected to stay at the hospital for a couple weeks. It was a great blessing that he healed very quickly because of many prayers, positive thoughts, and well wishes. We had a peaceful and lazy Christmas day. My father in-law stopped by to visit, which was strange not having my mother in-law here for Christmas. We enjoyed spending time with him. Baby brother loved his new toys and clothes. The girls enjoyed spending family time watching new Disney movies, eating ham and cheesy potatoes leftovers, and drinking hot chocolate, etc.

Bring on 2014!!!

I recall my husband lost his job earlier during the year and four months later was blessed with a great job opportunity. In June 2012, I suffered a miscarriage while this year we were blessed with a strong baby boy that joined our family in May. Little brother has gone through two major surgeries and was such a trooper during both of them. My mother in-law fought cancer for six months and passed away peacefully in November. She is now our guardian angel who will watch over us always. After a year of challenges, sorrows, and triumphs, we can truly see that the Lord has blessed us in our lives. We are looking forward to seeing what 2014 adventures will bring us! Happy New Year!!!

My Favorite Quotes

"Possibly the hardest guidelines for us to follow are those we set for ourselves. To analyze our fears, our dreams, our goals, our motives, can be soul-wrenching...We may find that we fear failure so much that we won't take a risk. Often our self-esteem is bruised by criticism...There is anatural, and probably a mortal, tendency to compare ourselves with others. Unfortunately, when we make these comparisons, we tend to compare our weakest attributes with someone Else's strongest... I am also convinced of the fact that the speed with which we head along the straight and narrow path isn't as important as the direction in which we are traveling." -Marvin J. Ashton

"If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will — to your surprise — miss them profoundly."

"Cultivate an attitude of happiness. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine." Gordon B. Hinckley

“Often the deep valleys of our PRESENT will be UNDERSTOOD only by LOOKING BACK on them from the mountains of our FUTURE experience. Often we can’t see the LORD’S HAND in our lives until long after the trials have passed. Often the most difficult times of our lives are ESSENTIAL building blocks that form the FOUNDATION of our CHARACTER and pave the way to FUTURE opportunity, understanding, and happiness." -

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.”

- PAUL VALERY

"In all living, have much FUN and LAUGHTER. Life is to be ENJOYED not just endured." ~Gordon B. Hinckley

"Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true."--RALPH WALDO EMERSON

"I'd give up chocolate, but I am not a quitter!" ---Author Unknown

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page”

- ST. AUGUSTINE

"Hope is a leg of a 3-legged stool with Faith and Charity." — Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"None of us will become perfect in a day or a month or a year. We will not accomplish it in lifetime, but we can begin now, starting with our more obvious weaknesses and gradually converting them to strengths as we go forward with our lives. this quest may be a long one: in fact, it will be lifelong. It may be fraught with many mistakes, with falling down and getting back up again. And it will take much effort. But we must not sell ourselves short. We must make a little extra effort. We would be wise to kneel before our God in supplication. He will help us. He will bless us. He will comfort and sustain us. He will help us to do more, and be more, than we can ever accomplish or be on our own." -Gordon B. Hinckley

“Families are like fudge… Mostly sweet, with a few nuts”

---Author Unknown

"As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you." Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"Try a little harder to be a little BETTER." ~ Gordon B. Hinckley

"Always do what you are afraid to do."-- RALPH WALDO EMERSON

"Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark." -George Lles

"Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination." -- VOLTAIRE

"You have not failed until you quit trying." -Gordon B. Hinckley

"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today."- James Dean

"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus."-- MARK TWAIN

"I know God will not give me more than I can bear, I just wish He didn't trust me so much." -Mother Teresa

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."- Dr. Seuss

"Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're right."

-- HENRY FORD

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you'll go."— Dr. Seuss

"To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world"-- UNKNOWN

"Mediocricy will never do. You are capable of something better." Gorden B. Hinckley

"Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can read."--MARK TWAIN

"He who has nothing to die for has nothing to live for."

- Moroccan Proverb

"Go out into the world today and love the people you meet. Let your presence light new light in the hearts of people."-- MOTHER TERESA

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill

"If Life Gets Too Hard To Stand, Kneel." -Gorden B. Hinckley

My favorite quote from Lord of the Rings:

“Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened. Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I... I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." -- ROBERT FROST

"Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight." -Gordon B. Hinckley

"For everyone who thought I couldn’t do it. For everyone who thought I shouldn’t do it. For everyone who said, ‘It’s impossible.’ See you at the finish line."--From the sign on the wall of the late Christopher Reeve's exercise room where he did his daily physical therapy after being paralyzed from the neck down in a horse riding accident.

"I would like to suggest to you that you ‘grab life by the horns’ and do not let life grab you by the horns. You take control of your lives. … Do not let life control you. … Take charge. Rise to the divinity that is within you." - Gorden B. Hinckley

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.Dream. Discover"-- MARK TWAIN